The present disclosure relates to a beverage preparation apparatus, such as brewers and components for combining a beverage making substance with a heated substance such as water to produce a beverage.
A variety of brewing equipment is available for brewing fresh tea and coffee beverages using fresh beverage brewing substances such as ground coffee or whole leaf or leaf particle tea. These brewers typically include a beverage brewing funnel assembly that can be selectively positioned on a beverage brewing machine. In this configuration, the brewing funnel assembly includes a funnel body that retains a filter, typically in the form of a disposable paper filter or a permanent filter made of another material that is more durable such as plastic or metal mesh. Beverage brewing substance is loaded into the filter of the funnel assembly and attached to the brewer.
Typically, the funnel includes a flange or a lip around an upper portion of the funnel body that can be mounted to the brewer by use of a pair of opposing channel structures, commonly referred to as “rails”. Once the funnel flange is positioned between the brewer rails, the brewer can be activated to initiate the brewing process. Once activated, heated water is controllably dispensed into the funnel via an opening at least partially defined by the lip of the funnel body from the brewer. The heated water is dispensed to saturate the beverage brewing substance with heated water to extract the flavors of the beverage brewing substance, or desired flavors and characteristics of the resultant beverage. The heated water and beverage brewing substance is mixed within a cavity defined by the filter material. During the brewing process, brewed beverage seeps through the filter material and collects in a lower portion of the funnel below the filter material. A drain hole is provided in a lower portion of the funnel, either centrally or offset from the center. An optional channel may extend from the drain hole to direct the beverage substance to a certain position for dispensing into a container. A user then positions the container below the drain to collect the freshly brewed beverage flowing from the funnel.
Brewers as described above are generally well known, widely used, and distributed throughout the food service industry. These brewers may be located in institutional settings, convenience stores, offices, restaurants as well as other food service settings. This relatively large installed base of equipment results in a large number of users who know how to operate the equipment. These brewers are configured for brewing freshly brewed beverages from beverage brewing substances. However, these brewers typically cannot accommodate other beverage making substances such as powders or other non-brewing substances.
For example, it would be useful to use this type of brewing equipment to produce beverages from other substances such as powdered beverage substances. While a variety of machines are designed for making beverages from powder, they are typically machines specifically designed of use with powders. As an example, many of these machines have been created to dispense a portion of powder for mixing with heated water and blending using a mechanical whipping device. Common types of beverages produced using this type of equipment might include hot chocolate, coffee mocha beverages, lattes, other dairy based, coffee based, combined dairy and coffee, as well as soup beverages or food products. All of these types of beverage products are served hot because of hot water mixed with the powdered beverage, thoroughly whipped in the machine, and dispensed into a container or single serving cup. All of these beverages or foods typically are compatible to a whipping action in the product since it is expected or at least acceptable that the product may include some degree of froth. All of these heated products benefit from the whipping to thoroughly dissolve or integrate the powdered beverage ingredients or material with water. This integration thoroughly combines the powdered components of the beverage or food product such as dried dairy ingredients, freeze dried coffee, as well as granular or finely powdered sugar.
A problem arises if a food or beverage product is not conducive to whipping or is not served as a hot beverage or food. For example, the production of fruit-based beverages is typically served chilled or cooled. It would not be conducive to the production of such a beverage to use hot water to make the beverage to dissolve the flavor and sugar components in the final beverage. Additionally, such beverages are typically not served in a whipped condition. For example, if a portion or a large multi-serving container of lemonade were to be produced it would be desirable to produce the lemonade in a chilled or at least reduced temperature state. Furthermore, it is not desirable to have a whipped or frothed portion of the resultant juice-type beverage.